AN: Read, enjoy, review!!

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Chapter 14

"Mom?" Sydney looked at her mother incredulously. What in the world was she doing here?

"Do you mind getting off me, Sydney?" Sydney didn't budge. There was no telling what her mother could do if she did so she wasn't going to comply.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here."

Irina sighed. "I just want to talk to you, but it would be much more comfortable to do that if you got off of me first!"

Sydney sighed. She knew Irina would just find away to get her off anyways so she finally got off of Irina and sat in the grass.

"Go ahead. Explain."

"I wanted to help you."

Sydney raised an eyebrow at her mother. She wanted to laugh. "Help me? Are you out of your mind?"

"No. Sydney, what is there left for you? Sloane is after you. CIA can't help you anymore. All you've got left is me."

Sydney looked at Irina with a shocked expression. "I have other options. I have Vaughn and my father. I don't need you."

"They may be able to help you, but there's a limit to their capabilities. I have limitless resources. I can get you anywhere and Sloane would never find you."

Sydney raised an eyebrow at her mother. "How do I know I can trust you? What's in it for you?"

"I will give you, Michelle, and Vaughn a place to hide out, different aliases, the works as long as you let me come to the wedding and have visits with your family every week." Irina looked intently at Sydney as if she were studying her.

"My wedding? How do you even know I'm going to get married? Vaughn hasn't even asked me yet!" Sydney was freaking out by now. She really didn't know what Irina was up to, but she sure as hell was going to find out.

"Oh, get a clue, Sydney. The man's head over heels for you, of course you're going to get married."

Sydney sighed. "Why now? Why all this?"

"I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. A lot of things I regret. Having you was not one of them. I loved you from the moment I held you. I didn't want to leave you, but I was stuck too deep into all the secrets and lies. It's taken many years, but now I'm on my own. No attachment to anyone or anybody. I want to make amends."

"What about Sark? Isn't he your loyal servant? Last I heard he was working with Alice which means she is working for you." Sydney wasn't convinced that Irina was making amends. It just seemed too easy.

Irina nodded. "Yes, they are working for me. I've been keeping Alice on a leash so to speak so that she wouldn't do anything drastic when it came to Vaughn. I know she tried to kill him, but I knew she wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near him with you around anyways. Sark's judgement is clouded. He thinks that if Vaughn is gone, he would actually have a chance with you. Since they are working for me, they will do whatever I tell them to do. I'll make sure they never bother you again."

"This is too easy. I don't believe you."

Irina sighed. "There's nothing more I can say to you for you to believe me. You just have to trust me. I'll give you a couple of days to think about this. Here's my number."

Irina handed her a card and Sydney looked at the number intently. When she looked up, Irina was gone. Sydney got up and started walking when she heard a voice call her name.

"Sydney!" She looked up and saw both her father and Vaughn coming towards her.

"Didn't you get my note, Mike?" Sydney gave Vaughn a puzzled look.

"Yes, but Jack said that someone might out here waiting for you so we had to come find you." Vaughn had a relieved look on his face.

Sydney looked at Jack. "Well, Dad, you were right."

Vaughn gave Sydney a shocked expression. "What?"

"Irina just finished talking to me a couple of minutes a go."

"Wait? How? What happened?"

"When I was jogging and I saw some movement behind a tree. I soon realized it was a person and tackled her. It turned out to be my mother."

"What did she want?" Jack asked with an alarmed look on his face.

"She said she wanted to help us. To give us aliases and keep us hidden."

"What did she want in return?"

"She said she wanted to come to the wedding and visit my family every week."

"Is she crazy? You aren't even engaged yet." Jack asked.

"That's exactly what I said. She wants to make amends, she said. I don't believe her though."

Jack looked grim. Vaughn looked at the both of them with a worried expression.

"I wouldn't believe her either."